Mayfield confirms hes still coming to OU
Former Texas Tech quarterback Baker Mayfield confirmed to SoonerScoop.com he still plans to attend the University of Oklahoma this spring and work toward becoming a member of the OU football program.
Mayfield confirmed he has been accepted to the University of Oklahoma and will attend classes in Norman when the 2014 spring semester begins Jan. 13.
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A people search of the University of Oklahoma's student directory also confirms Mayfield as being enrolled for the spring semester.
Mayfield said he still hasn't discussed his football future with the Oklahoma coaching staff.
"I'm just hoping it will all work out," he said. "I'm just waiting."
Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops made it clear the day after the Sugar Bowl, during an interview session with local beat reporters, he was not pursuing Mayfield, or any other quarterback transfers.
"I haven't had any dialogue with anybody. Nor has any of my coaches," said Stoops when asked about rumors surrounding a transfer at the quarterback position. "That all comes from you guys and somebody else. As far as I know, I don't know of anybody coming here. You can quote that.
"I haven't had any phone calls with anybody coming to our place. Usually the head coach would know, especially at the quarterback spot."
Mayfield confirmed Stoops' stance that there has been no communication between either party when he spoke with SoonerScoop.com Wednesday afternoon.
But regardless of any communication between Mayfield and the OU coaching staff, Mayfield faces a major hurdle with the NCAA that could prevent him from suiting up in an Oklahoma uniform anytime soon.
Mayfield was a walk-on freshman at Texas Tech this past season. But he's still bound by NCAA transfer rules. Texas Tech can prevent him from transferring to Oklahoma according to NCAA rules.
But Mayfield is hoping to receive a ruling Friday from the NCAA that would grant him an exception to those transfer rules.
"That's what we're fighting. It doesn't really make much sense. I walked on, paid for everything and they have the choice or decision to choose what I do or what I can't do, which doesn't make any sense," said Mayfield. "That's what we're waiting on."
With Trevor Knight, a redshirt freshman, coming off one of the most impressive OU quarterback performances in recent memory during a 45-31 victory over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, Mayfield would seem to be in a difficult spot to win a job at OU.
Mayfield says that performance hasn't deterred him from wanting to be a part of the OU program.
"I love competition and Trevor played his butt off. He played real well," said Mayfield. "It's a good team and a great program. It always has been."
So why the fascination with Oklahoma? Why would one of the top quarterbacks in the country not seek out a school where coaches were actively recruiting him to be a part of their program?
Mayfield did throw for 2,315 yards, completing 64.1 percent of his passes for 12 TDs in just 8 games.
"I grew up an Oklahoma fan," Mayfield said in regard to why he wants to transfer to OU. "It's not too far away from home and I kind of wanted to stay in the Big 12. It just kind of felt right."
There are a lot of questions about whether Mayfield will end up a QB at Oklahoma. Not the least of which is whether Stoops would even take him into his program as a transfer.
Which seems to be as much a hurdle as anything Mayfield is dealing with regarding Texas Tech's release or NCAA transfer rules.
"That's not a story for us," said Stoops in reference to Mayfield coming to OU. "We love the guys that we have coming in and what we are doing where we are at. That isn't anything for us."